# A new species of fringed Forest Gecko, genus Luperosaurus (Squamata: Gekkonidae), from Sibuyan Island, Central Philippines

## TL;DR

A new species of fringed forest gecko was discovered on a remote island in the central Philippines, highlighting the region's unique biodiversity and conservation needs.

## Contribution

The discovery of a new gecko species in the Luperosaurus genus, supported by morphological and genetic evidence.

## Key findings

- The new species is distinct from related Luperosaurus species through morphological and genetic traits.
- The species is geographically isolated on Sibuyan Island, a deep-water island in the central Philippines.
- The discovery underscores the conservation importance of the Romblon Island Group's forests.

## Abstract

We describe a new species of Luperosaurus based on two specimens collected on Sibuyan Island, Romblon Province, central Philippines. The new species is phenotypically similar to L. cumingii (southern Luzon), L. angliit (northern Luzon), L. corfieldi (from Panay and Negros islands), and L. macgregori (the Babuyan and Batanes island groups), but differs from these closely related congeners and all other known Luperosaurus by a combination of discrete morphological characters. Extensive molecular divergence from all closely related species for which genetic data are available supports the new species as a distinct lineage. Its distribution is geographically isolated from congeners, restricted to a permanently isolated deep-water island. The new species’ extremely limited geographic range contributes to the recognition of the remaining forests of the central Philippine Romblon Island Group as a fundamental conservation priority for the archipelago.